Under Armour, MLB deal to begin one year early

Under Armour and Major League Baseball announced in December 2016 a 10-year partnership that would make Under Armour the official uniform provider for the MLB. The deal that was slated to begin in 2020 will begin one year earlier, as announced on Thursday by MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred.

"Working closely with Major League Baseball, Under Armour is excited to accelerate our on-field debut of Under Armour uniforms and authentic gear for all 30 teams in 2019," said the athletic apparel company. As per the new agreement, Under Armour will also make fan merchandise available in 2018.

Under Armour’s deal with the MLB is the first professional league uniform deal for the company. The athletic apparel company will provide jerseys, baselayer, game-day outerwear, and year-round training apparel for all 30 MLB Clubs, and the uniforms will feature Under Armour branding. Under Armour has been the official baselayer provider of the MLB since 2000 and the official performance footwear partner of the baseball league since 2011.

The Baltimore-based athletic apparel company replaces Nike as the official uniform provider, bringing an end to Nike’s 10-year deal with the MLB.

In addition to Under Armour and MLB’s uniform partnership, Fanatics in December struck a deal with the MLB, which granted the licensed sports company broad consumer product licensing rights to manage the manufacturing and distribution of Under Armour and Fanatics fan gear. Fanatics and MLB expanded their partnership that began in 2002.